The present invention relates to therapeutic or training devices for attachment to footwear in order to adjust an individual""s gait for training, strengthening, and/or therapeutic purposes.
Removable devices for attachment to a person""s footwear have been used in the past for various purposes. Some such devices involve belts or straps which are secured around a wearer""s shoes and have frictional components attached for providing enhanced traction. These may be used, for example, when the wearer is walking on slippery surfaces such as ice or snow. Improved traction devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,943,792 of Powell, 4,702,021 of Cameron, and 5,485,687 of Rohde, for example.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,223 of Glass describes a stretch fabric garment designed to be attached to a shoe and having pockets for receiving weights. The garment has a pocket which engages over the toe portion of the shoe, and a strap which extends from the pocket around the rear of the shoe. Pockets are provided in the toe and around the strap. The weighted footwear garment serves as a training or therapeutic device.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved gait adjusting device designed for attachment to footwear for use in exercise, training, and/or therapy.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a gait adjusting device is provided, which comprises a panel having opposite first and second faces, the second face being of a material which will adhere to the fibers of a carpet, such as hook-type Velcro(copyright), a first set of straps extending from the panel for securing around the top of the shoe with the panel extending transversely across the sole of a wearer""s shoe in the area of the ball of the foot, with the second face facing downwardly, and a second set of straps extending from the panel in a direction transverse to the first set of straps for extending from the toe portion along opposite sides of a wearer""s shoe and around the heel end of the shoe to secure the panel at a predetermined axial position on the sole of the shoe.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the panel is rectangular, with opposite longitudinal sides and opposite ends. The first set of straps extend from the opposite ends of the panel, and the second set extend from one side. The first set of straps may comprise two spaced, parallel pairs of straps, each pair comprising a first strap secured to one end of the panel and having a first fastener at its end, and a second strap secured to the other end of the panel in alignment with the first strap and having a second fastener at its end for releasable mating engagement with the first fastener. The second set of straps may comprise a first strap secured to one side edge of the panel adjacent a first end, and a second strap secured to the same side edge adjacent the second end of the panel. When the panel is secured across the sole of the shoe or other footwear, its ends will extend up over opposite sides of the shoe, such that each second strap faces rearwardly along the respective side towards the heel of the shoe, and the longer of the two straps can be extended around the heel and secured to the other strap, securely positioning the panel.
In use, a gait adjusting device is secured to each of the wearer""s shoes or other footwear. The wearer then walks on a carpeted surface. The hook fastener material will tend to attach or stick to the carpet, making it harder for the wearer to pick up his or her foot. This device provides proprioceptive and sensory input through vision, sound and feel, with instant feedback as the user moves their feet. This will deter bad gait habits such as scuffing and will encourage good habits such as hip and knee flexion and dorsiflexion in the swing phase of gait. The device will assist in normalizing the gait pattern, and will also tend to strengthen the ankle musculature, particularly the anterior tibialis, as a result of the extra force needed to pull the foot from the carpet.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of adjusting a person""s gait is provided, which comprises the steps of:
extending a panel across the sole of a wearer""s footwear with a carpet adhering material extending over one face of the panel facing downwardly and opposite ends of the panel extending up along the sides of the shoe towards the top of the toe portion of the shoe;
extending at least one pair of fastener straps from opposite ends of the panel up over the toe portion of the footwear and securing the straps together to secure the panel to the sole of the footwear;
extending a second pair of fastener straps from locations on one side edge of the panel positioned on opposite sides of the footwear towards the heel end of the footwear, at least one of the second pair of straps extending around the heel end of the footwear to meet the other strap; and
securing the second pair of straps together to hold the panel in a selected axial position on the sole of the footwear;
whereby, when the wearer of the footwear walks on a carpeted surface, the carpet adhering material will be releasably attached to the carpet and provide resistance to the pulling up of the footwear from the carpet, thereby adjusting the wearer""s gait.
The device and method of this invention can be used to assist patients with a wide variety of neurological and orthopaedic diagnoses, as well as in treatment of various bad gait habits. When two devices are used, one on each foot, the patient is provided with an immediate auditory and proprioceptive feedback to improve symmetry in stride length and normalize the gait pattern. The auditory feed back results from the sound of the carpet adhering material, which may be Velcro(copyright) hook type material, pulling away from the carpet, while the resistance to the material pulling off the carpet provdies proprioceptive feedback, causing the wearer to use more force in lifting their foot. The device is inexpensive, and is easy and fun to use.